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Health care providers should avoid drugs promoting weight gain for successful obesity management
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Medication-related weight gain should be avoided for a successful long-term weight-loss strategy with diet, exercise and behavior modification, according to a recent report published in Gastroenterology.
“Physicians know that some medications can increase weight, but they don’t always know what alternatives are out there,” Leon I. Igel, MD, FACP, DABOM, assistant professor of clinical medicine, Comprehensive Weight Control Center, division of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism at Weill Cornell Medical College, said in a press release. “We want physicians who treat patients with obesity to feel more comfortable prescribing these alternatives. Our paper looks at how to practically manage patients with obesity by prescribing the optimal medications for them.”
According to the report, numerous medications, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, antidepressant, antipsychotic, hormonal agents and others can have “unpredictable and variable effects on a patient’s weight.” The researchers said health care providers should be aware of the risks of weight gain and weigh the benefits of the treatments with the possibility of weight gain.
“Prescribers frequently use medications like sulfonylureas or insulin for diabetes management. What we provide are some potential alternatives that can be used,” Igel told Endocrine Today.
When possible, health care providers should consider different medication options if the risk for weight gain becomes too high and substitute those medications with ones that cause minimal weight gain.
Igel added that many health care providers may not consider the possibility of weight gain when prescribing medications to treat certain conditions, but that the possibility should always be considered.
“When possible, practitioners should utilize weight-neutral or weight-loss promoting medications,” the researchers wrote. “If there are no alternative medications, weight gain can be prevented or lessened by selecting the lowest dose required to produce clinical efficacy for the shortest duration necessary.” – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: Igel reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
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